Billet-heating furnace.



0. J. P. JOHNSON. BILLET HEATING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, 1908.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEToE.

CARL JOHN F. JOHNSON, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THOMAS H. BAYNES, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

BILLET-HEATING FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL JOHN F. JOHN- SON, citizen of the United States, resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Billet-Heating Furnaces, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

The present invention, relating as indicated to reheating furnaces, has more particular regard to billet heating furnaces, the object being the provision of a furnace of this character wherein the difficulty of the cold spots on the billets occasioned by their contact with the water-cooled ways or skids, along which they are shoved, may be overcome.

It will be readily understood that it is essential to the proper working of the billet, as it is received from the furnace, both that it be heated to the required temperature, and that such heating be uniform throughout its mass, otherwise not only will there be actual difiiculty in the working, or drawing, as the case may be, of the billet, but strains will be induced in the finished product that may seriously affect the durability of the same.

To the accomplishment of the above and relating objects, then, said invention consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of the various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing: Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section, of a billet heating furnace wherein have been incorporated my several improvements; Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof on the line 22 Fig. 1'; and Fig 3 is a transverse section taken on the broken plane represented by line 33, Fig. 2.

The general construction of the furnace need only be briefly adverted to, since this is the same as in the various types of furnace heretofore constructed. Such furnace, then, consists primarily of an elongated chamber A of the general form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, longitudinally of which extend a plurality of walls a, forming skid-ways along which the billets are advanced from the rear to the front end of the furnace chamber. Such walls incline gently upward toward such front end, the chamber being similarly conformed, and thence sharply downward to the discharge place A from whence they are removed to the rolls. The heating medium in the form of ignited gas, either natural or artificial, is discharged into such front end of the furnace chamber from a suitable head A the construction of which forms no part of the present invention, the approved form thereof here shown being fully described and claimed in my co-pending application filed September 14:, 1905, Serial No. 278,374. In order to provide for a smooth movement of the billets along the walls that support them within the furnace, as also to prevent the crumbling away of the latter under the weight of such billets, pipes a are laid along the wall tops, and water is passed through such pipes to prevent their being melted. The pipes are ordinarily extended the entire length of the walls, including the forward downwardly inclined ends of such walls. Such pipes being considerably cooler than the remainder of the heating chamber it will be obvious that those portions of the billets that rest thereon will not be raised to as high a temperature as will the main body of the billets exposed properly to the influence of the gaseous blast discharged into the furnace. The difficulties arising from this condition of the billets have already been noted, and are moreover generally understood. In my improved construction, accordingly, instead of extending the pipes a to the extreme forward ends of the supporting walls forming the ways proper, I depress the same at a point somewhat removed from the forward crest of the walls as shown in Fig. 2. The remaining sections a of the walls are thus adapted to receive and sustain the billets if properly placed thereon, and, by reason of the high temperature that such walls are capable of assuming, complete and efiective heating of the billets may be had by resting them thereon. For depositing of the billets on these sections of the Walls, as also for permitting of their movement therealong when it becomes desirable to advance such billets to-the point of discharge, I provide a hollow frame B pivotally mounted substantially at the crest of the walls and having its free end supported from a yoke B without the furnace whereby such end may be raised or lowered as desired. The pivoted ends I) of this hollow frame extends without the walls, forming in effect trunnions by means of which such frame is supported in the manner referredto, and through which the water for cooling the same may be supplied or connections 1) without the furnace walls.

The yoke B that sustains such free end of the frame will preferably be counterweighted so that a very slight effort will suffice to raise or lower the frame as desired.

Having thus described the construction of my improved billet heating furnace, the manner of its operation should be readily apparent. Pending the advance of the billets through the furnace chamber to a position at the forward end of the same, the frame B will be raised so that such billets can be readily advanced into position. After the proper number have thus been advanced the frame will be lowered, thus allowing the foremost billets of the series to rest on the laterally adjacent wall sections a T he cold spots on such billets will accordingly be rapidly dissipated, and when it is desired to finally discharge the completely heated billets the frame is again raised to its former position and the advance movement of the billets begun with the result that such foremost ones are precipitated down the forward inclined section a of the walls. This inclined section may be protected in any suitable fashion as by a plate or by water-cooled pipes, as desired.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention 1. In a furnace for heating billets or the like, the combination with a heating chamber; of cooled ways extending longitudinally of said chamber and adapted to slidably sustain the billets for passage through the same, said ways comprising a fixed and a depressible section; and other means, adjacent to the depressible section of said ways, adapted to sustain such billets upon depression of such section.

2. In a furnace for heating billets or the like, the combination with a heating chamber; of cooled ways extending longitudinally of said chamber and adapted to slidably sustain the billets for passage through the same, said ways comprising a fixed and a depressible section; and walls, intermediate between and parallel with the ways of said depressible section, said walls being adapted to sustain such billets upon depression of said section.

3. In a furnace for heating billets orthe like, the combination with a heating chamber; of water-cooled pipes extending. longitudinally of said chamber and forming Ways adapted to slidably sustain the billets for passage through said chamber; walls at the discharge end of said chamber parallel but out of alinement with said ways; and a water-cooled frame movably mounted so as in one position to form a continuation of said ways adapted to slidably sustain the billets for discharge from said chamber, said frame being adapted in another position to lie below the tops of said walls.

4c. In a furnace for heating billets or the like, the combination with a heating chamber; of water-cooled pipes extending longitudinally of said chamber and forming ways adapted to slidably sustain the billets for passage through said chamber; walls at the discharge end of said chamber parallelbut out of alinement with said ways; and a hollow water-cooled frame pivotally mounted so as in one position to form a continuation of said ways adapted to slidably sustain the billets for discharge from said chamber, said frame being adapted in another position to be depressed below the tops of said walls.

5. In a furnace for heating billets or the like, the combination with a heating chamber; of water-cooled ways extending longitudinally of said chamber and forming Way's its adapted to slidably sustain the billets for,

passage through said chambers; walls at the discharge end of said chamber parallel but out of alinement with said ways; and a hollow water-cooled frame pivotally mounted substantially at the crest of said walls so as in one position to form a continuation of said ways, said frame being adapted to be depressed below the topsof said walls.

6. In a furnace for heatingbillets or the like, the combination with a heating cham.

ber; of water-cooled pipes extending longi tudinally of said chamber and forming ways for sustaining the billets pending their passage through said chamber; walls at the discharge end of said chamber parallel but out of alinement with said ways; a hollow water-cooled frame ivotally mounted so as in one position to orm a continuation of said ways, and in another position to be depressed below the tops of said walls; counterweight means for said frame; and water connections between the frame and said ways.

7. In a furnace for heating billets or the like, the combination with a heating chamber; of water-cooled pipes extending longitudinally of said chamber and forming ways for sustaining the billets pending their passage through said chamber, said ways inclining forwardly and upwardly; walls at the discharge end of said chamber parallel but out of alinement with said ways, said walls inclining similarly to said ways; oppositely inclined walls leading down to the discharge place; and a hollow water-cooled frame pivotally supported on an axis transverse of the forward ends of said first named walls, said frame being adapted when elevated to form a continuation of aforesaid ways and when depressed to lie below the tops of said walls.

Signed by me this 5th day of June, 1908.

CARL JOHN F. J QHNSON.

Attested by E. R. Rom), J N0. F. OBERLIN. 

